Jony Salme was one of
Boracay's first in the emerging age of new entrepreneurs. Salme,
originally from Negros, moved to the island with his family as
caretaker of the stylish Elizalde property. Later on, Salme opened
one of the island's first refreshment stands and introduced a
Boracay staple, the fruit shake. "Things are very different now,"
recalls Salme's wife, Josie. The peaceful days before the influx of
tourists are now long gone.
Today, Jony's Place, a
restaurant and inn, is still one of the best loved. Their banana and
mango shakes, we discovered, are just as heavenly as
ever.
Boracay would not be the
popular island getaway it is today without some small sacrifices.
Another proprietor, also one of Boracay's pioneers, recalls the
early days before Boracay was "discovered" by the outside world.
"Life was simple then," she reflects. "But you cannot stop
progress."
Was it all really worth it
? As Alex and I walked along the sand one afternoon, we spent
several minutes picking up discarded plastic bags and bottles on the
beach. Alex's brow was in a permanent knot for the rest of the day.
"How can they do this?" she muttered. "They're going to ruin
everything."
Fortunately, something
is being done. Ramona Ty, undersecretary of the Department of
Tourism and director for planning and development of Boracay Island,
reports a garbage management program underway.
"It's a very simple,
low-tech solution," says Jose Belleza, managing director of
Inter-Amalgamate Resource Corporation, the group contracted to set
up the solid waste management system. Prior to the entry of the new
system, all solid waste was burned, without the recyclable items
being segregated from the biodegradables.
When raw, unprocessed
garbage is burned, Belleza explains, it is simply broken down into
chemical components that are more easily absorbed into the
ground,
